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UBC Researchers Invent New Cost-effective Self-tinting Glass

Source: LandGlass Attention: 41 Published: 2018-04-17

Energy efficient glass conserves building energy by switching between clear and tinted, dynamically controlling heat and sunlight in the building , depending on the building and occupants' needs. A Canadian research team reported on the latest issue of British journal "Chemistry" that they had developed a low cost easy process, making it possible to make energy efficient glass in large scale.

The new technology developed by the research team at the University of British Columbia in Canada coats ethanol containing a metal ion onto glass and then uses ultraviolet light to transform it into a film. The experiment shows that the film is completely transparent but becomes blue when electricity passes through. The next goal for the team is to experiment with more tints so that the glass will turn grey instead of blue. With this method, glass with dynamic coating can be manufactured without high temperatures or sophisticated vacuum equipment, therefore reduces the cost. Although energy efficient, electrochromic glass currently available costs about $500 to $1,000 per square meter to make, much higher than the cost of a conventional glass.